Audience Perception of the Influence of Government Ownership of NTA on Journalism of Truth, Fairness and Balance: A Study of Residents of Owerri Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper investigated the audience's perception of the influence of government ownership of NTA on the principle of truth, fairness and balance. The media ownership theory and the social responsibility theory served as the theoretical underpinnings for the study. The study used a mixed method design, including an in-depth interview for the qualitative data and a survey for the quantitative data. The Wimmer and Dominick online sample size calculator was used to determine a sample size of 384 from the population of 555,500. Data was collected using a questionnaire and interview guide. Multi-stage and purposive sampling procedures were used. The results showed the respondents' high knowledge of the journalistic principles of truth, justice, and balance in news reporting. The respondents have a negative perception towards government ownership of NTA and the practices of the journalists regarding truth, fairness, and balance in news reportage, as the ownership affects the practices of journalists in upholding the principle of truth, fairness, and balance in news reportage. The study further revealed that the respondents perceive that the influence of government control of NTA limits the freedom of the press, which is against the ethics and demands of professional journalism. The paper concluded that when news stories are written and framed in the interest of the owners rather than the public interest, it kills journalistic ethics and professionalism as well as the social responsibility role of the media.